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Searching through some folders on my computer recently I came across some photos I took when I was out on my last ride in India before my Matchless was crated up for shipping. The photo’s took me back to some happy memories of Hyderabad and India. I think this was a really great last ride …

All of our household belongings are being shipped from Hyderabad to Hong Kong and the relocation company confirmed that my Matchless motorbike could also go in the same shipping container. However, all of the fluids would first need to be drained from the bike as these are viewed as a potential fire or explosion risk. …

So, it looks like my adventures with my Matchless in India will shortly be drawing to and end. My wife’s work contract in Hyderabad will finish around mid-April along with all of our visa documentation. And so it will be time to leave India after 18 incredible months and move on to pastures new. And …

I passed my Indian motorbike driving test today – hurray! I now have a full motorbike licence for the first time having never bothered to go further than a CBT course and L-plates back home. Now I know there will be a lot of comments from back in the UK that Indian driving tests are …

I had an interesting trip out on the bike today: The final stage of getting the registration paperwork complete is that you have to take the bike to the local “RTA” (road traffic agency?) office for an inspection. I guess it’s a bit like taking the bike for an MOT back in the UK, only …

Here’s another photo of my bike parked outside the mechanics shop which I just love. Check out those camels in the background! It kind of sums up India in many ways – the contradictions of the old British bike, the rush of the modern Indian auto-rickshaws zipping back and forth, and then sauntering through the middle of …

So, now that I knew a little bit more about what exactly it was that I was looking at, it was time for another look over the old bike. Most importantly was to find the frame number hidden under the seat, and then to check that this (and the engine number found previously) matched the all important …

So what was this strange beast I’d found? Well, it was a Matchless for a start – the big golden “M” on each side of the petrol tank gave that one away! But what model was it and what year was it made? To find that one out would require a bit more detective work (otherwise known as Googling) …

After all the searching, the one bike that caught my eye was an AJS 16Ms. It was in original, unrestored condition, seemed to be complete and was apparently a runner. All looked well until I checked the registration documents a few days later and found that the engine number didn’t seem to tie-up with the …

One of the classic bike mechanics I was talking to in the old city put me in touch with a guy who turned out to be a bit of a collector of old British bikes. It seems that he had acquired these bikes as and when they had turned up over the years with the intention of one day, …